Promoting Diversity in the Biomedical Sciences with the Teen Science Ambassador Program.

Mental health and substance use fields suffer from underrepresentation of racially and ethnically minoritized, first-generation college student, and female members. The homogeny of the current workforce can impede scientific productivity, creativity, and problem-solving in addressing health-related issues. Our team developed the Teen Science Ambassador Program (TSAP) to provide underrepresented minoritized (URM) high school students with science-focused education, research opportunities, and mentoring within their community. The goals of the current study were to describe the logic model and structure of TSAP, provide access to a resource bank to facilitate replication across communities, and present preliminary mixed-methods outcome data to guide development of the program. Qualitative and quantitative results from our first two cohorts (N = 18; 89% girls; 72% Black or African American; 22% Hispanic or Latino; 40% of parents did not have a college degree) indicated TSAP contributed to sustained interest, increased confidence, and enhanced sense of belonging in science-related fields, especially those pertaining to mental health and substance use. These findings highlight the program's promise to facilitate entry and sustainment of URM and female youth within the biomedical sciences. Given the urgent need to promote diversity in the mental health and biomedical workforce, we provide readers with a resource bank to facilitate replication across communities.

The effect of human resource development practice on employee performance with the mediating role of job satisfaction among Mizan Tepi University's academic staff in Southwestern Ethiopia.

Purpose: This study examined the effect of human resource development practices on employee performance, with job satisfaction as a mediating variable among academic staff at Mizan Tepi University. Methods: A standardized Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to academic staff members selected through stratified random sampling from eight colleges at Mizan Tepi University. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including a structural equation model and t-tests, were used for data analysis. Results: The study found a significant positive correlation between human resource development practices and employee performance. Job satisfaction was identified as a mediator between HRM practices and employee performance. Specific dimensions of human resource development practices, such as training and development, academic career development, teamwork spirit, and counseling, had significant effects on employee performance, with both positive and negative impacts observed. Additionally, academic career development, succession planning, and counseling were found to have a statistically significant positive effect on the academic staff at Mizan Tepi University. Conclusions: This study found that training and development, academic career development, teamwork, counseling, and job satisfaction significantly impact employee performance. The results of the regression analysis using the SEM model revealed that job satisfaction, training and development, and teamwork positively affect academic staff performance while negatively affecting academic career development and counseling. Academic career development, teamwork, counseling, and succession planning were found to have a positive effect on job satisfaction. The mediation analysis indicated that academic career development and counseling partially mediate employee performance, while succession planning fully mediates it. Therefore, focusing on training and development, performance appraisal, rewards, teamwork, academic career development, succession planning, and counseling is essential to enhancing job satisfaction among academic staff at Mizan Tepi University.

Submitting a successful National Institutes of Health career development award for the vascular surgeon scientist.

Obtaining a career development award from the National Institutes of Health (K award) is often an important step in establishing a career as a vascular surgeon scientist. The application and review process is competitive, involves many steps, and may be confusing to the prospective applicant. Further, there are requirements involving mentors and the applicant's institution. This article, authored completely by vascular surgeons with active K awards, is intended for potential applicants and personnel at their institution and reviews relevant information including strategies for a successful application.

The power of coaching: Developing leaders and beyond.

In recent decades, the application of coaching for career development and supporting faculty in leadership roles has greatly expanded in higher education. Coaching can offer transformational and life-changing experiences, inspire critical reflection in early career decisions, and (re)ignite passion and commitment at all career stages. While coaching focuses on transforming individuals, it also has the potential to impact organizations and professional environments. The power of coaching deserves appropriate recognition within dental education and scholarship. In this article, the authors discuss the potential for career coaching as a tool for developing future leaders in dental education. After differentiating between coaching and mentoring, coaching for professional development is reviewed as an evidence-based approach that can enhance traditional leadership and professional development programs. Although this article was inspired by programming supporting the development of female leaders, coaching applies to all leaders and may be particularly helpful in supporting the development of diverse leaders including but not limited to individuals from different backgrounds, national origins, gender, racial, socioeconomic, and cultural distinctions. After a review of existing coaching initiatives in dental education, a variety of coaching strategies for faculty, staff, and trainees will be described that can be implemented by oral health educational institutions. Examples of coaching strategies range from developing internal coaching programs to contractual agreements with external coaching groups. Step-by-step guidelines are included.

Understanding college success through the lens of first-generation students in China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Background: First-generation college students face unique challenges in navigating the higher education system, and understanding their perceptions of college success is crucial for providing appropriate support. Objective: This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of 15 first-generation college students regarding college success and to identify the factors they consider important for achieving success in college. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants, and the data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: This study explores the varied perceptions of success among first-generation college students (FGCS) through five themes: Academic Achievement, Personal Development, Personal Well-being, Personal Fulfillment, and Career Success. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the perceptions of first-generation college students regarding college success. The identified themes shed light on the multifaceted nature of success in higher education. These findings have implications for supporting first-generation college students and developing targeted interventions to enhance their overall success and well-being.

Thriving in neuroscience careers: Three lessons from 12+ years of the BRAINS Program.

The NINDS-funded BRAINS Program for neuroscientists from underrepresented and marginalized groups has positively impacted its participants and the field. We discuss three lessons to advance excellence and diversity: center relationships, provide ongoing engagement, and leverage programmatic expertise.

Transition status and influencing factors of newly graduated nurses: A descriptive survey design.

AIMS: To assess the transition status of newly graduated nurses in China and identify its influencing factors. BACKGROUND: Newly graduated nurses are the indispensable part of nursing human resource. The successful transition of into clinical work is crucial for their future career development. However, the transition status of new nurses in China remains inadequately explored. DESIGN: A descriptive survey design was employed in this study. METHODS: From October 2022 to January 2023, 1261 newly graduated nurses were surveyed online with the Transition Status Scale for Newly Graduated Nurses. Description statistical analysis was adopted to evaluate the transition status of new nurses. Independent-samples t-test, Analysis of Variance and Multiple Regression Analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of the transition status. RESULTS: The total mean score of Transition Status Scale for Newly Graduated Nurses was 4.00 (SD=0.61). Competence for nursing work (Mean=4.20; SD=0.57) was rated the highest among the five dimensions of the scale, while the dimension of balance between work and life (Mean=3.65; SD=0.89) was rated the lowest. Mentored by senior nurses, night shift, attribute of working hospital, educational background, interned in the same department, tertiary general hospital, reasons for choosing nursing and working time can affect the transition status of new nurses, accounting for 17.9% of the variance in transition status (R²= 0.179, P＜0.001). CONCLUSION: The transition status of newly graduated nurses in China is at a relatively high level, especially in the dimension of competence for nursing work. However, newly graduated nurses are in a relatively poor status of work-life balance. Nurse educators and managers need to pay more attention to the transitional training of highly educated nursing talents and the optimization of clinical transition training programs to prevent talent loss. Experienced tutors should be allocated to provide guidance for newly graduated nurses.

The learning experiences and career development expectations of Chinese nursing master's degree students: A qualitative investigation.

AIM: To explore the learning experiences and career development expectations of nursing master's degree students. BACKGROUND: With increasing demands for improved quality of life, there is a growing need for nursing graduate programs in clinical care. However, the existing training programs for nursing master's students in China require improvement. It is essential to analyze students' learning experiences, perceptions of the current status of nursing and expectations of the nursing profession to enhance and develop university training programs. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 nursing master's degree students. The data obtained were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step phenomenological analysis method. The study adhered to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). RESULTS: Three main themes emerged from the analysis-Theme 1: Career expectations, encompassing motivations for pursuing the nursing master's program and career aspirations; Theme 2: Study experiences, including nursing professional ability, nursing management ability, self-awareness ability and moral literacy; Theme 3: Occupational dilemmas, encompassing the current challenges and coping strategies. CONCLUSION: The learning experiences of nursing master's students in universities are closely linked to their training programs. A disparity exists between students' career expectations and the actual employment landscape for nursing master's degree students.

Sociocultural and contextual determinants of science career goal at a community college and baccalaureate-granting institution.

Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al. in J Vocat Behav 45(1):79-122, 1994), we assessed sociocultural (e.g., home-school cultural value mismatch) and contextual barriers (e.g., institutional climate) in science education and career development at both a baccalaureate-granting institution (BGI) and community college (CC) among 263 students (72.4% female; Mage = 22.96, SD = 5.70) in the USA. For BGI students, path analyses suggest proximal factors such as in-class prejudice negatively predicted science self-efficacy and prejudice from faculty and staff predicted lower career outcome expectations. For CC students, home-school cultural value mismatch directly predicted science career goals. Implications for future research, intervention and policy are discussed.

Déterminants socioculturels et contextuels dans l'objectif de poursuivre une carrière scientifique dans un collège communautaire et un établissement délivrant le baccalauréat Guidés par la théorie sociale cognitive de la carrière (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), nous avons évalué les barrières socioculturelles (p. ex. le décalage entre les valeurs culturelles de l'école et de la famille) et contextuelles (par exemple, le climat institutionnel) dans l'enseignement des sciences et le développement de carrière dans un établissement conférant le baccalauréat (BGI) et un collège communautaire (CC) parmi 263 étudiant·e·s (72,4% femmes; Mage = 22,96, SD = 5,70) aux États-Unis. Pour les étudiant·e·s de BGI, les analyses suggèrent que les facteurs proximaux tels que les préjugés dans la classe prédisent négativement l'auto-efficacité scientifique et que les préjugés du corps enseignant et du personnel prédisent des attentes plus faibles en matière de carrière. Pour les étudiants CC, le décalage des valeurs culturelles entre la famille et l'école prédit directement les buts de carrière scientifique. Les implications pour les recherches futures, les interventions et les politiques sont discutées.

Determinantes socioculturales y contextuales de las metas en carreras científicas en un colegio comunitario e instituciones que otorgan grados en bachillerato (103R1) Guiados por la teoría social cognitiva de la carrera (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994), evaluamos las barreras socioculturales (p. ej., el desajuste cultural entre el hogar y la escuela) y las barreras contextuales (p. ej., el clima institucional) en la educación científica y el desarrollo profesional tanto en un bachillerato como en una institución otorgante (BGI) y colegio comunitario (CC) entre 263 estudiantes (72.4% mujeres; Edad = 22.96, SD = 5.70) en los Estados Unidos. Para los estudiantes de BGI, los análisis de ruta sugieren factores proximales como el prejuicio en la clase que predijo negativamente la autoeficacia científica y el prejuicio de la facultad y el personal predijeron expectativas de resultados profesionales más bajas. Para los estudiantes de CC, el desajuste de los valores culturales entre el hogar y la escuela predijo directamente las metas de la carrera científica. Se discuten las implicaciones para futuras investigaciones, intervenciones y políticas.

Where Does Hope Lie? The Dialectical Tensions Between Hopes and Expectations of Vocational Transition Planning from the Perspectives of Autistic Young Adults, Parents, and Practitioners.

The post-secondary transition for autistic youth is a complex process, with hopes and expectations serving as malleable mediators often overlooked in research and practice. Career awareness, exploration, and counseling services play a critical role in facilitating vocational transition, but the vocational hopes and expectations of autistic youth and their parents are often disregarded. This study aims to explore these aspirations and their impact on the vocational transition process, seeking to harmonize elements to better align with the needs of autistic youth and their families. This study used a focus group design involving group interviews with three participant groups: autistic transition-aged youth, parents, and practitioners. The findings reveal five key themes: 1) Accepting Disability or Constrained by Ableism: Resisting Marginalization, 2) Finding the Sweet Spot: Are Parents and Youth's Expectations Too High or Too Low, 3) Market Forces at Work-Finding a Meaningful Vocational Path in a Capitalist Society, 4) Despite Meticulous Planning, there is a Disconnect Between Needs and Resources, and 5) The Hills and Valleys of Finding Resilience. Navigating the multifaceted landscape of vocational transition planning for autistic youth necessitates a collaborative and flexible approach. Identified tensions serve as opportunities for growth and transformation. Recognizing and addressing system shortcomings is crucial for informed decision-making. Challenges extend beyond individual circumstances, reflecting broader systemic issues, and identifying these gaps allows for a comprehensive understanding of available resources, cultivating a basis of hope as uncertainties are addressed.

British elite swimmers' experiences and perspectives on life skill development.

This study explores the experiences of British elite swimmers in developing life skills during and throughout their athletic careers, examining the factors that influence their perspectives on this skill development. Six high-profile British swimmers, who have competed at the Commonwealth and/or Olympic Games, were recruited for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was applied. Through the analysis, two key themes were identified from the thematic analysis: (a) Implicit life skill development through athletic and educational experience, and (b) Understanding the influence of swimming on life skill development. The first theme includes three sub-themes: (a) Establishment of athletic identity, (b) Prioritization of athletic identity, and (c) Navigating life skills through athletic challenges. The findings show that the swimming careers of participants and their associated identities contributed to the development of a wide range of implicit life skills. This growth was facilitated by both educational and sporting experiences, with all participants reporting positive personal development from their time in competitive swimming. The findings in this study enhance our understanding of life skill development and provide insights into how to more effectively support high-performance athletes in both their athletic careers and educational endeavors.

A cross-sectional study on turnover intention of nurses in eastern China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the turnover intention among nurses in eastern China and explore the association between turnover intention and personal characteristics, family factors, and work-related factors. METHODS: A total of 2504 nurses participated in a cross-sectional survey administered in 26 hospitals in Eastern China from October to November 2017. In December 2021, a survey was conducted on nurses who resigned between December 2017 and November 2021. RESULTS: The turnover intention score of in-service nurses was 15 (12-17), and 43% of nurses had a high turnover intention, which was mainly due to the following reasons: age < 40 years, raising two or more children, monthly income of USD786.10-1572.20 or < USD786.10, occupation was assigned or selected according to parental wishes, ≤ 1 or ≥ 2-night shifts per week, contractual or third-party personnel agents, full-time nurses with part-time jobs, and high job stress. Among 102 retired nurses, 80.4% reported family reasons for leaving, 39.2% for work reasons, and 21.6% for other personal reasons. CONCLUSION: Nurses' intention to leave their occupation is high in Eastern China. Age < 40 years old, > 1 child, low income, involuntary career selection, frequent night shifts, informal employment, part-time, and high job stress are significant factors associated with nurses' willingness to leave. Government and hospital administrators should consider ways to address these factors to retain nurses in hospitals in eastern China and improve the quality of nursing services.

Implementing a Palliative Care Junior Faculty Visiting Professor Program: Pearls and Pitfalls.

MOTIVATION: Palliative Care (PC) is a small, relatively young interprofessional sub-specialty; hence mentorship for early-career research faculty is widely dispersed across schools and universities. We developed the Junior Visiting Professor Program (JVPP) to provide junior faculty in palliative care (PC) with opportunities to meet multidisciplinary PC researchers from other institutions and to advance their research through networking and presenting their work. We describe how we designed and implemented the program, and we report on the first cohort of participants. METHODS: We invited PC research groups from US schools of medicine and nursing to participate in this 5-year interprofessional exchange program by nominating junior faculty and serving as hosts. We matched nominees to host institutions based on nominee training experiences, nominee research interests, and host institution faculty expertise. In addition, we provided logistical guidance on visit planning. Post-visit, we surveyed both hosts and junior visiting professors (JVPs) regarding their satisfaction, perceived value, and suggestions regarding the program. RESULTS: We recruited 13 schools to participate and matched 10 nominees to host institutions in our first year. Nine JVPs completed their visit; 6 JVPs and 8 host faculty/staff responded to the post-visit survey. Overall, JVPs were highly satisfied with their matches and the visiting professor experience. Hosts were generally satisfied with their matches and believed the program to be mutually beneficial. The most frequent suggestion was for greater administrative support to plan visits. CONCLUSIONS: Structured, well-supported opportunities for networking across institutions is beneficial for emerging PC researchers and for building PC research capacity.

History and its relevance to contemporary and future leadership.

BACKGROUND/AIM: This paper argues that an inquisitiveness into the history of medicine and healthcare organisation is an important characteristic of a leader seeking to understand why facts are as they are, before embarking on leading change. I had the privilege of 34 years of service in the UK Defence Medical Services, culminating in the most senior role of Surgeon General. I, and many of my military medical colleagues, are members of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. Through this, I hope that we have been able to add an interesting dimension to the practice of medical leadership in UK health organisations. METHODS: This paper is a reflection on my personal experience suggesting that studying the history of military medicine can provide insights into the collective knowledge of previous generations, the process of organisational development during war, and the clinical and system innovations needed for the next war. RESULTS: This paper summarises my personal experience of the relevance of the history of military medicine in clinical practice and policy development within the UK Defence Medical Services. It has five sections starting with history as a trajectory of knowledge, and how this links to my personal career. I then show how history informed my leadership influence on policy and practice in four topics: the prevention of heat illness, the organisation of medical services, partnerships in military medicine, and organisational learning. The paper is framed around my personal experience over a career that spanned clinical practice, policy development, leadership on military operations, and finally senior strategic roles. CONCLUSION: While I have placed my argument in the context of military medical leadership, I suggest that understanding history is just as important in civilian medical leadership.

A chronicle of the liberation struggle: the career development of Ahmed Kathrada.

Ahmed Kathrada (1929-2017), an anti-apartheid activist, political prisoner, and parliamentary politician had been at the centre of South Africa's liberation struggle for six decades and is remembered as a soft-spoken, strong-willed and incorruptible freedom fighter. This psychobiography uses the career development framework of Jeffrey Greenhaus and the ecological human development systems framework proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner to investigate and illuminate Kathrada's life history. Kathrada was purposively selected as subject due to his extraordinary contributions to the liberation struggle. The study used primary and secondary documentary data. The findings indicate poor alignment between the age categories proposed by the Greenhaus framework and Kathrada's career development stages due to him joining the liberation movement at a very young age, his rapid career development during the early career stage and the impact of imprisonment on his career development. The findings relating to Bronfenbrenner's theoretical framework illustrate the interaction between individual and environmental factors that influenced Kathrada's life and career. Ultimately, employing two theoretical frameworks assisted in formulating a pragmatic, holistic and comprehensive psychobiography that illuminates Kathrada's life and career. The study contributes to the legacy of Kathrada and underscores the importance of longitudinal studies in the career development of extraordinary individuals.

Early career researchers in health policy and systems research: insights from freelancers in a non-profit organization in the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: The freelance economy has seen rapid growth worldwide in recent years and the Philippines is not an exception. Freelance workers are becoming increasingly common in healthcare and research. Early career researchers carry out most of scientific research and can play a critical role in advancing public health by bringing new perspectives and diversity to the field. Existing literature has mostly focused on the experiences of early career researchers in an institutional academic setting. This study aimed to understand the experiences of freelance early career researchers in the health policy and systems space in the Philippines. METHODS: This qualitative study collected data from 18 to 22 March 2022 through virtual interview and focus group discussions. Themes and codes were created based on the topic guide developed. New themes and codes were generated as they emerged. Two researchers coded the data using both a priori and emergent codes. Any coding conflicts were resolved through discussions until intercoder agreement was reached. Interpretation and conclusions from the data were developed by 2 researchers with consideration for its context and relationship between themes. RESULTS: Fifteen current and former freelance researchers participated in the study. Most are female, under 35 years old, and with an undergraduate degree as the highest educational attainment. The findings highlight insights and challenges faced by early career researchers in aspects of: (1) work arrangement, (2) tasks, (3) expectations from senior researchers, (4) development in the health policy and systems field, (5) relationship with peers, and (6) motivations for continuing to work as a freelance health policy and systems researcher. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the challenges freelance early career researchers face, highlighting the need for enhanced support and recognition amidst rapidly evolving workforce demands and complex health dilemmas. Recommendations include structured mentorship, professional development, innovative funding models, and the establishment of a supportive network. Advocacy for policies ensuring freelancer inclusion in the economy and policy-making is crucial. Future research should investigate their experiences further, including their roles, transitions, and the impacts of funding trends, to foster their development and integration into public health research and policy.

The role of pre-service physical education teachers in physical education - A bibliometric and systematic review.

Pre-service physical education teachers (PSPTs) have long been an important area of specific development in physical education and have become a significant force in the field of physical education and research over the past two decades. However, exploratory research on pre-service teachers remains relatively scarce, and lack a comprehensive scientific exploration of the scope of their role. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive overview of pre-service physical education teacher education (PETE) from both a broad and specific perspective. Specifically, it includes the current state of PETE, the most influential authors, countries, journals, and literature, as well as specific research topics and future directions within PETE. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a total of 340 articles were included, with 84 of them being empirical studies. The findings reveal that teacher training, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, educational attitudes and beliefs, educational quality, educational methods and technology, career motivation, teaching models and strategies, and teacher assessment and reflection are major research themes. Visual analysis of the application of pre-service physical education teacher research highlights teacher training, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, as well as instructional technology, as key areas of future focus. These insights contribute to the reasonable application of bibliometrics in the field of pre-service physical education teacher research.

Expanding the Public Health Pipeline Through the Public Health Influencers Summer Institute.

The need for a robust public health system in the United States is critical for safeguarding population health. However, current data suggest an insufficient number of individuals entering or staying in the governmental public health workforce. Expanding the public health pipeline requires creative thinking about recruitment and training activities. To attract students to public health and other health-related fields, including medicine, one institution in the Southeast recently initiated the Public Health Influencers Summer Institute (PHISI), a program that addresses the beginning of the career development continuum: recruitment of high school students. For this investigation, we reviewed evaluation data of the PHISI and provided descriptive analyses and selected quotes to reflect student learning. Participants reported increased familiarity with all public health topics after participating in the program, with the greatest increases in public health policy and social determinants of health. In addition, all participants reported increased or significantly increased understanding of public health after participating in the program. While interest in the field of public health increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are not enough individuals entering or staying in the public health workforce, leaving a critical shortfall. Introducing high school students to the field of public health may increase their interest in entering the public health workforce in the future, thereby strengthening the overall public health infrastructure. We propose that the PHISI may be an innovative strategy for increasing both the number and diversity of students interested in pursuing a career in public health.